When hurricane or windstorm season comes around in your area, you always make sure your home is ready to weather the storm, right? You probably have the shutters already attached, or ready to be quickly put on, or plywood and other supplies on hand to make sure you can protect your house from whatever Mother Nature decides to send your way.
But, what about the dog houses in the yard? Did you take the time to consider whether or not the dog houses will stand up to that same storm? While you may not think this is too important, it is.
First, if your dogs are in their houses when a storm whips up, they could get hurt or killed.
But, even if you bring the dogs inside when storms come, their houses, if not storm readied, can become dangerous projectiles that may well be picked up and thrown into your home, doing damage.
So, how do you go about storm readying dog houses? Start with the houses themselves and how they have been installed in your yard.
The best way to keep those dog houses where they should be when the winds whip up is to have them constructed on a cement platform and secured to that cement with ties.
Ties are metal strapping pieces that are used to hold some homes and garages to the poured foundation.
If you haven't yet selected the dog houses for your yard, consider their construction when you do.
How are they put together? You should be looking for dog houses that have been created with the same kind of durable construction used in your own home.
After all, there are going to be lives inside that house, just as there are in yours, so why shouldn't they be protected by quality construction.
Many dog houses have an opening so humans can get in.
Climb inside.
Use your hands to push around on the corners and walls and see if they feel sturdy enough to safely house your dog in inclement weather.
If they don't, move on to another option.
Now consider how comfortable the dog houses would be in rough weather.
If it snows where you are, are the dog houses insulated enough to keep your dog warm when the temperature drops? How about rain? Rain doesn't always fall down.
If there is a lot of wind whipping the rain around, it may well go sideways.
How well are the dog houses sealed to keep that rain out and keep your pet dry while he's waiting out the storm? If the dog houses you are looking at have glass windows, you need to plan now for how you are going to cover those windows if a storm were to come.
It could be as simple as having some pre-cut pieces of plywood on hand that can be hammered in place when a warning of severe weather is announced.
While you can take the steps necessary to protect your home from storms, your pets aren't able to.
That means the only way your dogs will be safe in their dog houses, is by you having the forethought to make sure they're safe and sound.